Returning
by Karnai
Summary: The promised day has passed and Ed and Al are back in their own bodies. After so much conflict and danger it is time for the two brothers to return home and live a more peaceful life. And as fear and responsibility is left behind, other feelings are allowed to the their place. Tells the story of Ed, Al and Winry after the promised day. Read for fluffy and sweet EdWin romance.


Hello there fellow reader/writer! First time writer here, I've been reading fanfics for some time and I wanted to try it myself. Seeing as FMA:Brotherhood is one of my favorite series, I thought it was a good place to start. This story here is the start of a simple, happy and fluffy story for those of you who enjoy simple romance and will continue on chronologically. All positive feedback and constructive criticism is gladly received.

The story starts of when Ed and Al are walking towards the Rockbell house after the promised day.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist_

* * *

_Chapter 1: Returning_

Edward smiled to himself as he walked down a road that wound it's way over the green hills of Resembool. The sky was clear and the sun shined brightly, small birds flew over his head, chittering happily to each other. It was strange, that only a few days earlier this serene world was almost thrown into utter chaos and destruction.

Ed looked to his younger brother Alphonse, who was walking alongside him. He thought of all the adventures they had shared throughout the years. Still, with all the hardship, it was those times that had made them who they are, and he would not forget. And now, Al had finally gotten his body back, at least most of it. His muscles had deteriorated so much that they had to take frequent brakes, but Ed didn't mind, he was just happy to see his brother back in his own skin.

As they walked down the road they talked about all the adventures they had shared, all the places they had been and all the people they had met. So many kind and brave souls with whom they had shared laughter and sadness and fought alongside when faced with mortal danger. A certain xingeese princess came to mind, and Ed smirked, a princess who Al had gotten quite friendly with. He tried to tease his brother, but his efforts were seemingly futile, and Al returned without hesitation.

"What about you… and Winry?"

For some reason, those words made Ed stop, and at that moment a familiar yellow house appeared before them. Instead of replying Ed simply smiled and started walking again. It seemed that Al accepted this response because he didn't try to press any further.

As they came closer to the house Ed felt that he had to suppress an urge to start sprinting towards the door. He and Al, they were going to return together. Still that feeling, which crept from the tip of his toes to the crown of his head, was not easy to ignore.

* * *

She hadn't done much, not since the promised day. She was still alive, so she knew that something must have gone right, but she hadn't heard from them. Every day since the promised day, she had been sitting in the kitchen or the living room, or walked anxiously around in the house, waiting for them to return.

She had a basket full of apples ready so that when they came back she could make them the best apple pie they had ever tasted. Oh how she hoped to see them both, walking towards her with their own bodies and smiles on their faces.

Every day she would wait, and when the night came and she would sit on her bed and look at a picture. It was a picture of a boy, who had the eyes of a man. Golden eyes and blonde hair, and from under a red coat, where his right hand should be there were fingers of steel.

That night, when she was sitting on her bed with her picture, she whispered: "You be safe alright, and come home soon… I miss you."

Another morning had passed, and Winry was starting to get depressed. Sometimes she caught herself thinking, _what if something happened, and they don't come back_, but then she would mentally shake herself. _Of course they'll come back, those two are so strong, together they can do anything! And when they return I'll be here to welcome them._ Still it was hard to not be able to do anything other than to wait.

She heard the familiar noise of Den's barking coming from the front of the house. "What is it now" she mumbled to herself and rose from her chair. Winry shuffled out to the hall, as she reached for the handle on the door to the living room she heard a familiar voice shout, "Stop it Den, that tickles!" _That sounded like… could it be?_ Winry opened the door and walked towards the front door. It seemed like time slowed down for the moments before she reached for the door handle. Winry hesitated for a moment before opening the door.

There, on the ground was Al with Den on top of him, Al in his real body. And beside him stood Ed, smiling and looking right at her. She was overwhelmed with joy while looking upon this sight. She felt tears gather in her eyes, and didn't try to suppress them. With tears of Joy streaming down her cheeks she sprinted towards the brothers, threw herself into their arms and they collapsed in a reunion of heartfelt happiness. "Welcome home, dummies", Winry said while looking down on the brothers. Ed simply replied: "Good to be home."

* * *

They laughed and talked while they walked inside, after Winry got over her amazement of seeing Al in his own body, the two brothers started telling her about what had happened and how this all came to be, but before they really told her anything she stopped them.

"Why don't you guys relax for a bit first, and I'll make you something special. Then you can tell me all about it!" and then she skipped out of the living room.

Ed's eyes trailed her with a dazed look as she left the room. Just to see her this happy again made him feel like there were no worries in the whole world.

"Do you think she'll be making the apple pie? She said she would make it once we got our bodies back", Al said breaking Ed from his trance.

He hadn't realized that he had been staring out into nothing and looked over to his brother.

"Yeah I'm sure that's what she meant" he replied. A moment of silence passed before Ed stood up and declared, "I'll just go and check if Winry needs some help with anything"

Al had to suppress a grin and replied: "You go ahead and do that".

Something about the tone in Al's voice made Ed's cheek turn slightly pink, but he decided to ignore it and started walking toward the door that led to the kitchen. Just as he reached for the door handle Al threw out another comment "Do take your time brother, there's no rush!" At this Ed blushed and scowled towards a grinning Al before leaving the room.

"Hey! Didn't I tell you to wait?" Winry said with a stern, yet joyful tone in her voice when she saw Ed entering the kitchen.

"Yeah" he responded half-nervously while rubbing the back of his head. "I just thought you maybe needed some help or something" Winry's head spun around and looked at him with a look of shock on her face. "What!" Ed exclaimed stifling back laughter.

"It's just, I'm not really used to you going out of your way to help me with something, especially not in here" Winry said giggling at the thought of Ed's attempts at cooking. "Well if you really want to help out you can start by taking care of that mess over there" she pointed towards the dining table which was covered in papers, empty coffee mugs, nuts and bolts and such.

Ed worked diligently and quietly, not many word were exchanged between them, but it was a comfortable silence. Winry had set the pie in the oven and they were just about done with cleaning up when they both reached for the same measuring cup. Their hands recoiled when they lightly touched each other

"Sorry" Ed murmured and started to move elsewhere, but before he could, Winry grabbed hold of his arm and held his hand for a moment before letting go.

"Sorry, I just… It's been so long since you've had a real right hand and I just wanted to feel it." Winry said quietly and averted Ed's surprised gaze.

"It's alright, it's not as impressive as an entire body" he joked and put that cup back in its place "But it's nice to have it back".

Something seemed to click in Winry's mind before she looked at Ed "W-What about your leg?" She asked carefully.

"Still the same" Ed replied nonchalantly and lifted up his left pant leg revealing his automail leg. He let his pants fall back down and looked up at Winry. Edward Elric's heart dropped when he saw tears fall from her eyes. "Why are you crying, Winry?" he said and grabbed hold of her shoulders, his voice so weak it was almost a whisper. "You don't have to worry about me" he continued before she could answer "I'll be fine, and… and what if you didn't have anything to repair and improve, y-you'd probably go nuts!" he let out a weak laugh and he could have swore he saw a subtle smile form on her lips.

"It's not that" Winry said, her voice a bit shaky "Well, it is, but it isn't". Ed became very confused, but rather than to ask, he remained silent and attentive while he waited for her to continue. "Does… does this mean that you'll be going away again, to try to get your body back?"

Ed breathed out, relieved that what had worried Winry was something he could answer to. And this time, he thought it would turn out for the best, for the both of them. Ed pulled her into a tight hug. "No, if you don't mind I think I'll be staying here for a while" he declared calmly.

Winry chuckled, "Of course I won't, silly".

They stood in a silent embrace for a few moments, enjoying the peacefulness, before Al broke the silence "Hey guys! What's taking so long?" they heard him shout from the living room. Both of them jumped back a step when they heard him and Ed felt a blush creep up his cheeks as he realized that they had just shared a somewhat intimate moment.

"We'll be right there!" Ed shouted back, he looked over at Winry and smiled "I guess you won't need any more help with that?" He said and gestured towards the oven.

"Nah, you go ahead and keep your brother company, I'll be right behind you".

The three friends spent the evening talking and enjoying Winry's delicious apple pie. Pinako came home from the market and sat down with them for a while, but left again soon after. Although she didn't want to admit it, her age was catching up to her and thus she was tired from walking around at the market all day. Winry had of course offered many times to help her, but her stubborn grandmother refused every time.

As the sun fell behind the horizon and the stars and moon took its place, Al decided to go to bed, now that he was getting sleepy and was stuffed with pie. Ed and Winry stayed and chatted for a little while longer, but as they both yawned greatly in unison they agreed that it was time to sleep. They cleaned up and readied themselves for the night. And so they ended up on the second floor, with their backs to their respective doors, looking into each other's eyes, about to say goodnight.

"Hey Ed, I just want to say… I'm really glad so see you again." Winry said with an affectionate smile on her face. A smile he cherished so much.

"You know me and Al, it's going to take a lot more than some guy trying to become god to stop us!" He declared proudly.

Winry chuckled, but then gave Ed a resolute look, as if she had come to terms with something. "No Ed, I meant… I'm glad to see _you_"

"Oh" was all he could muster. Somehow this made him feel immeasurably happy, but nervous at the same time. Then he felt something in his left pocket. _Right! I almost forgot_. "Here, I guess you'll be wanting these back" he said as he stretched out his hand.

"My earrings!" Winry exclaimed, and looked at him straight in the eyes. "You're so sweet, Ed" she almost whispered, warmly, and took one step toward him. Her left hand moving toward his, which held her earrings, and her right hand moving toward his face. Ed didn't think, his body just started moving. He took one step, and then another, but all of a sudden his left leg went completely stiff, throwing him of balance. When he tried to regain it, the knee joint lost all tension and collapsed under his weight. He came crashing down into Winry, and before they knew what had happened they were lying there, their faces only inches apart, bodies pressed against one another, with the small pieces of metal scattered around them.

Once Ed realized their current situation, he quickly pushed himself of her and started collecting the small earrings while hiding his furious blush. He noticed that Winry sat up and breathed out heavily before she proclaimed, "I guess you're in need of some serious maintenance."

He breathed out as if he had expected something different. "Yeah, you can check up on it tomorrow. Right now, I'm in a serious need of some sleep." He picked up the last piece and turned over to her, now that his face looked less like one of the apples they had eaten earlier. "Here you go."

"Thank you" Winry took the earrings, stood up and offered him a hand to help him up. He refused and got up on his own while leaning on the wall.

"I guess… I'll see you tomorrow" he said and started hopping toward his room. He was right in front of his door when he heard a couple of light footsteps come in his direction. He turned around just as Winry leaned in towards his cheek and gave him a soft, almost lingering kiss before she quickly skipped back toward her room.

"Good night!" she said as she opened her door. The door closed behind her before he could react and he was left alone.

"Good night" Ed murmured and lifted his hand up to his cheek. After a few moments he managed to return to reality and turned to open the door to his room. Inside he found Al sound asleep and went over to his own bed.

After he had tucked himself in, Ed laid there in the pleasant silence, not able to fall asleep immediately. He thought and pondered for a while, and played with some ideas in his mind, before he eventually fell into a deep sleep.


End file.
